SECTION III.—The Different Duties of Abandonment.

The active exercise of abandonment
either in relation to precept, or to inspiration.

Although souls called by God to a state of
abandonment are much more passive than active, yet they cannot expect
to be exempted from all activity. This state being nothing else but
the virtue of abandonment exercised more habitually, and with greater
perfection, should, like this virtue, be composed of two kinds of duty;
the active accomplishment of the divine will, and the passive acceptance
of all that this will pleases to send.

It consists essentially, as we have already
said, in the gift of our whole self to God to be used as He thinks
fit. Well! the good pleasure of God makes use of us in two ways; either it
compels us to perform certain actions, or it simply works within us. We,
therefore, submit also in two ways; either by the faithful accomplishment
of its clearly defined orders, or else by a simple and passive submission
to its impressions of either pleasure or pain. Abandonment implies all
this, being nothing else but a perfect submission to the order of God
as made manifest at the present moment: It matters little to the soul in
what manner it is obliged to abandon itself, and what the present moment
contains; all that is absolutely necessary is that it should abandon
itself unreservedly. There are, then, prescribed duties to be fulfilled,
and necessary duties to be accepted, and further there is a third kind
which also forms part of active fidelity, although it does not properly
belong to works of precept. In this are comprised inspired duties; those
to which the spirit of God inclines the hearts that are submissive to
Him. The accomplishment of this kind of duty, requires a great simplicity,
a gentle and cheerful heartiness, a soul easily moved by every breath of
directing grace; for there is nothing else to do but to give oneself up,
and to obey its inspirations simply and freely. So that souls may not be
deceived, God never fails to give them wise guidance to indicate with what
liberty or reserve these inspirations should be made use of. The third
kind of duty takes precedence of all law, formalities, or marked-out
rules. It is what, in saints, appears singular and extraordinary; it is
what regulates their vocal prayer, interior words, the perception of their
faculties, and also all that makes their lives noble, such as austerities,
zeal, and the prodigality of their self-devotion for others. As all this
belongs to the interior rule of the Holy Spirit, no one ought to try to
obtain it, to imagine that they have it, to desire it, nor to regret
that they do not possess the grace
53to undertake this kind of work,
and to practise these uncommon virtues, because they are only really
meritorious when practised according to the direction of God. If one is
not content with this reserve one lays oneself open to the influence of
one’s own ideas, and will become exposed to illusion.

It is necessary to remark that there are souls
that God keeps hidden and little in their own eyes, and in the eyes of
others. Far from giving them striking qualities, His design for them
is that they should remain in obscurity. They would be deceived if
they desired to attempt a different way. If they are well instructed
they will recognise that fidelity to their nothingness is their right
path, and they will find peace in their lowliness. The only difference,
therefore, in their way and that of, apparently, more favoured souls,
is the difference they make for themselves by the amount of their love
and submission to the will of God; for, if they surpass in these virtues
the souls that appear to work more than they exteriorly, their sanctity
is, without doubt, so much the greater. This shows that each soul ought
to content itself with the duties of its state, and the over-ruling of
Providence; clearly God exacts this equally from all. As to attraction
and the impressions received by the soul, these are given by God alone
to whom He pleases. One must not try to produce them oneself, nor to make
efforts to increase them. Natural effort is in direct opposition and quite
contrary to infused inspirations, which should come in peace. The voice
of the divine Spouse will awaken the soul, which should only proceed
according to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, for, if it were to
act according to its own ideas it would make no progress.

Therefore, if it should feel neither attraction
nor grace to do those things that make the saints so much admired, it
must, in justice to itself, say, “God has willed it thus for the
saints, but not for me.”